1. Field of the Invention
As is well known, and as has been described in some of the references, when people drink refrigerated carbonated beverages and beer from cans, the cold outer surface of the can "sweats", or becomes wet because of condensation of moisture from the ambient air. Further, people like their beverages to be cold and, when the can is held in the fingers, heat is transferred from the fingers to the contents of the can, and the contents warm up faster than otherwise would be the case. In addition, brewers and soft drink canners desire to advertise their wares at every reasonable opportunity. For these reasons, it is desirable to provide an article which can be easily, quickly and securely applied to a can, and which will permit a person to drink directly from the can without actually touching it, thereby keeping the person's hand dry, and avoiding undue warming of the contents. Preferably, the article should be so structured that there is room for display of a commercial logo of a reasonable size. The article should be made of a single piece of plastic for light weight and cheap manufacture. This invention meets those requirements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Southwick (U.S. Pat. No. 2,784,578) discloses a wooden can holder with a coaster bottom provided with a moisture-absorbing pad. The holding means comprises a pair of arms extending circularly outward from the handle. This is apparently intended to hold steel cans, because today s thin aluminum cans would probably deform if one tried to snap a can into the arms of Southwick.
Geen (U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,743) features, in the relevant embodiment, a coaster bottom. A flexible handle extends upward from the coaster, and there is a small hook extending downward from the free end of the handle to engage the upper can bead. The handle is made of wood, and the dimensions of the handle which provide flexibility are described in considerable detail.
Neugebauer (U.S. Pat. No. 2,813,742) is a can holder designed for cans having a bead at each end. A metal leaf spring attached to the inner side of the metal handle urges the can toward a lip above the coaster floor, where the lower bead will be retained. A strap is provided for releasing the spring. It is doubtful if this holder could be used with today's aluminum cans because of the required spring action on the wall of the can.
Paprocki (U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,812) is a can holder designed for cans having a bead at each end. There are several pieces, including the coaster, a resilient handle, and a pivoting cover like a German beer stein. The free end of the handle is fitted with a flange for retention of the upper bead of the can.
Aiello (U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,975) discloses a flexible can handle similar in operation to Geen. It is designed for a double-beaded can, and has a circularly-grooved coaster extending from the lower end of the handle, and a circularly-grooved sector extending from the upper end of the handle. The handle utilizes ribs as stiffeners.
Mele (U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,678) discloses a cylindrical holder cup with a resilient handle forming, in effect, a large hook, where the downward pointing free end of the handle engages inside the upper bead of the can. The can is held in the cup by means of an inward bend near the lower end of the handle, which engages the side wall of the can and urges the can against the cup wall. Again, this does not look suitable for thin-walled aluminum cans. Reichold (U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,223) discloses a detachable handle for blender jars. The handle can accommodate different heights of jars, and is operated by rotating the handle to clamp it in place and to remove it from the jar.
Talay (U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,635) is a beer can handle designed for double-beaded cans. A spring latch is located on top of the handle and extends over the upper can bead.
Massey (U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,164) is a three-piece can holder utilizing arms as a holding means, similar to Southwick. The can is supposed to be snapped into place, and the arms hold the can in a "tight gripping relationship". Again, this was probably intended for steel cans.